That game sucked. I’m pissed. I’m not even going to analyze anything. I’m just going to go over my real-time text message conversation that I had with Neil the entire time:

3:00 p.m. ET: I curse out the 4-letter network for not cutting to the US game when I realize 25 minutes have gone by. Instead, I had to watch the fighting Fanes Gekases beat the defeated Shevchenkos.

Raf: Fanis Gekas to S Africa!

Neil: Fanis Gekas = Eichmann. (Neil hates Gekas after a Gekas pick where a “put it on the board…championship!” pick in the 4th round of our Euro fantasy draft in ’06 resulted in Neil with Gekas and Gekas doing NOTHING the entire tournament.

Raf: People not going to S. Africa – Shevchenko. (I take joy in Shevchenko’s misery as he’s crying like a little girl on the field. F that guy).

3:03: Cunningham scores.

Raf: Cunningham is fuckin good! I am so into Cunningham right now. Where has he been for…oh I dunno….all of qualifying.

Neil: haha being old in mls.

Raf: whatever, he rox. He needs to start.

Neil has a point. He is old. And playing in the MLS. And I don’t like the MLS that much. He did play a good game though. Starting may be an exaggeration, but he really did play well, especially in the first half.

3:14: Feilhaber does something creative in the midfield.

Neil: Good Benny showed up today.

Raf: Yeah but bad MB90….again.

Neil: Bradley is fine. Looked good Saturday, just ok so far today.

Raf: yeah, if you call 4 turnovers in 20 minutes good, then he looks awesome….

Bradley biffs a chance at a wide open net and turns the ball over again.

Raf: and again….

Seriously, Bradley sucks. He didn’t do jack, he never does. God, he makes me so angry.

3:37: the Danish just scored.

Neil: that’s on Altidore for not burying the perfect cross by Cunningham.

Raf: yup, Cunningham still rules!

(Enough said on that one).

3:40: Hejduk gets beat again.

Neil: This is the finale for Hejduk finally, me thinks.

Raf: Yeah, he’s playing bad. It looks like he lost a step.

Neil: Yeah it sure does.

Right on cue, the Danish score on Hejduk blown coverage.

Raf: That seals it for Hejduk. That one’s on him.

It’s sad…I love Frankie Hejduk, but it’s inarguable that he looks like he lost a step just now. He was habitually beaten by a bigger, stronger, faster, and younger Danish team and he was forces to jump around, tackle recklessly, and try his ass off to keep up. I really felt for the guy, trying to keep up, and he really just couldn’t today. If this is the last hurrah for Frankie, I wish him the best, and it was a fitting ending with him having the captain’s armband at the end of the game.

3:42: Danish score again.

Neil: fuck. Spector.

Raf: Yep, that’s on him.

Neil: Getting ugly.

Did Spector biff? Yeah, he did. Neil was right. But that’s not the biggest problem with what happened next. This is the point in the game when all effort level from the US side went away. We went down a few goals, we started feeling sorry for ourselves, and we gave up. College basketball started yesterday, so I’m going to use that to make my point. You ever see a Jim Boeheim team give up? How about a Mike K. team? Dean Smith? Jim Calhoun? Billy Donovan? Bad effort level usually comes from bad coaching. Need I say more? This is the 2nd time I’ve seen a US team giving up after going down a couple of goals. The first time was in the Confed Cup in the Brazil game where we got waxed that everyone likes to forget. Inexcusable…